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ZiS-2 anti-tank gun
The ZiS-2 was a Soviet 57mm anti-tank gun used during WII. The ZiS-4 was a version of the gun meant to be installed in tanks. ZiS stands for Zavod imeni Stalina ("Factory named after Stalin"), the official title of Artillery Factory No. 92, which produced the gun first. Development In the beginning of 1940 the design office of V. G. Grabin received from the Artillery Department the task to develop a powerful anti-tank gun. The head of this department, Marshal Kulik, and his subordinates estimated that the use of heavily armored tanks by the USSR in the Winter War did not go unnoticed by Nazi Germany and would lead to development of similar fighting machines there. There is also a chance that the department was influenced by the German propaganda about the experimental multiturreted "supertank" NbFz. To this vehicle heavier armor was attributed than it actually had. Therefore, Grabin and his office were guided by the characteristics of the domestic heavy tank KV-1 with 40-75mm armor. In the opinion of developers, the optimal caliber in this case was 57mm. The velocity and mass of the armor piercing 57mm projectile allowed it to attain sufficient kinetic energy to penetrate up to 90mm of RHA while keeping the gun sufficiently light, mobile, and easy to conceal. However, the decision also had a downside: this caliber was new to the Red Army, so the manufacturing of the projectiles had to be started from scratch. Development started in May 1940 and in the beginning of 1941 the gun was adopted as 57-mm anti-tank gun model 1941 (ZiS-2). Production began on 1 June 1941 but on Dec. 1st, 1941, it was stopped by marshals N. N. Voronov and G. L. Govorov, their explanation being that ZiS-2 shells go right through weakly armored German tanks without doing much harm inside. Other possible reasons for the decison were high cost of the gun and problems with shell production. By then, 371 pieces were built. The production lines were switched to manufacturing of the ZiS-3 76.2mm divisional gun, while Soviet anti-tank artillery received cheaper 45mm guns. Some anti-tank regiments also received the ZiS-3, which was able to defeat any German vehicle until late 1942. Appearance of the heavy Tiger I and then the Panther changed the balance in favor of the Germans. 45mm guns model 1942 could only pierce the side armor of the Panther and the gun mantlet. Against the Tiger, the ZiS-3 was effective only from the side at close range, and 45mm pieces were nearly helpless. A more powerful gun was needed and on June 15, 1943, the ZiS-2 once again entered service. Until 1945, 9,645 units were produced. Description It is a semi-automatic gun with vertical block breech. When firing the block opens and closes automatically, the loader only has to put a round into the receiver. Due to this feature the rate of fire can reach 25 rounds per minute. The split trail carriage with gun shield was shared with the ZiS-3 divisional gun. The carriage has coil spring suspension, which allows towing with a speed of up to 50 km/h on highways, 30 km/h on unpaved roads and 10 km/h off-road. The gun can also be attached to a limer and towed by a team of six horses. ZiS-2s are equipped with PP1 panoramic sights Service ZiS-2s were employed by anti-tank platoons of infantry units and by anti-tank artillery units of the Reserve of High Command, the most numerous of these being anti-tank artillery regiments. Self-propelled mounts The ZiS-2 was also mounted on a few vehicles. In 1941 about a hundred ZiS-2 guns were mounted on Komsomolets armored tractor chassis to create the ZiS-30 tank destroyer. The ZiS-2 gun was also mounted in at least three different prototypes based on the SU-76 assault gun. None were accepted for production. Post-war history Due to the fast improvement of tank armor protection, the ZiS-2 quickly lost its anti-tank value. In Soviet tank artillery by the mid 1950s, the ZiS-2 was replaced by more powerful 100mm guns. However, its small size and weight kept it in active service with Soviet airborne troops for much longer. It was the fast improvement of rocket-based anti-tank weapons that eventually phased the ZiS-2 out of use. All surviving field pieces are memorial pieces or museum exhibits. Category:Soviet Military Category:Weapons Category:World War II Category:Soviet Army